Catherine Noone (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I would like to raise a law and order issue, which was raised by Senator Craughwell last week. I agree with him based on what I heard over the past number of weeks, especially regarding the Navan Road area. In particular areas, where older people live, they are being targeted by both young criminals and gangs. A number of cases have been highlighted in the media, including a terrible case where a lady was tied up and gagged in her home. The Garda is doing the best it can but years ago, gardaí were on the beat more often and on their feet on the streets in the evenings. That could make a big difference. The recruitment of 300 new gardaí this year is welcome, as is the provision of funding for new Garda vehicles.

However, we need to get more creative in this space. Other initiatives that have been piloted in Dublin in recent times are crime text alerts and the Garda door to door service whereby gardaí call to people's houses, introduce themselves and let them know when they are available, thus making older people feel less vulnerable. It also allows the gardaí to survey people as to the perceived strengths of the service. We could consider expanding this nationally. It would be important to have a debate on this issue. Senators could come up with ideas as to how in small ways we could help to put people's minds at ease. There are law and order issues and burglaries, which may not even be reported in some cases, are a huge concern to people throughout the country and especially in Dublin. I would welcome a debate on law and order issues and, burglaries of residential homes, in particular.